Posts for category: Dental Procedures

Modern dental care wouldn’t be the same without x-rays. Since dentists began capturing x-ray images a century ago to detect beginning tooth decay, billions of teeth have been preserved.

“Catching it early” is the key to staying ahead of this aggressive bacterial infection. Once it breaks through the protective defenses of tooth enamel, it can advance toward the center of the tooth, the pulp, damaging dentin as it goes. While we can effectively stop it at this point with a root canal treatment, it’s better for the tooth’s long-term health to detect and treat any decay early on with a less-invasive filling or other treatment method.

X-ray imaging helps make that possible, revealing decay much easier than we can see with the unaided eye. And while we can often detect decay in front teeth by visual examination or by using very bright lighting, that’s not as easy with the less accessible back teeth. For those teeth we use a special x-ray technique known as the bitewing.

The name comes from the small frame used to hold the film. It’s held in place in the mouth by the patient biting down on small tabs or “wings” extending from the frame. The x-ray beam travels through the outer cheek and teeth to the film being held in the frame on the back side of the teeth. When exposed, we’ll be able to view the interior of these back teeth: a set of four bitewings gives us a full view of all the upper and lower molars and pre-molars on each side of the jaws.

Like other forms of radiation energy, too much or too frequent exposures to x-rays can lead to serious health problems. But bitewing x-rays carry little risk to health. That’s because they fit well with the ALARA principle, meaning “As Low As Reasonably Achievable,” which helps guide our use of x-rays. Patients receive a fraction of the radiation exposure from routine bitewing x-rays than they receive annually from the natural environment.

Without bitewing x-rays and other diagnostic methods, the chances are high that tooth decay or other dental problems can go undetected in their early stages. Using this important tool can help us head off major damage before it occurs.

Our Glendale, AZ, dentist Dr. Yati Yadav offers many options for helping you get your smile back on the right track after tooth loss. Replacing your missing tooth or teeth shouldn’t be a challenge. If you are missing one or more permanent teeth then it’s time to find out how dental implants could help you.

A dental implant is made up of three parts,

The small metal post (the implant): this is placed within the jawbone

An abutment: this connects the crown to the implant

A porcelain crown: a tooth-shaped cap that fits over the implant

A dental implant functions a bit differently from other tooth replacement options because its purpose is to replace your missing tooth roots. In order to do this, our Peoria and Glendale, family dentist will need to drill a small hole into the jawbone where your missing tooth used to be. From there, we will place the implant into the hole.

Over the course of several weeks, the jawbone will fuse together permanently with the implant. Once this happens, your dental implant is now a long-term structure within your mouth. This is one reason many patients choose to get dental implants. After all, you want a restoration that will last, so why not turn to dental implants?

While a dental implant is designed to replace a single missing tooth, multiple implants can be placed throughout the jawbone to support partial or full dentures.

Are you interested in getting dental implants? Want to find out more about this restoration and how it could benefit your smiles? If so, call Your Family Dentist in Peoria, AZ, and serving the Glendale, AZ area, today to schedule a consultation.

Bright, naturally white teeth are a key component in a beautiful smile. But the opposite is also true: nothing diminishes an otherwise attractive smile more than stained or discolored teeth.

There is good news, however, about tooth staining: it can be greatly reduced with the right whitening technique. But before taking action we need to first uncover the cause for the staining — whether from the outside or inside of the tooth, or a combination of both.

If it’s an external cause — known as extrinsic staining — our diet is usually the source. Foods and beverages that contain tannins, like red wine, coffee or tea fall in this category, as do foods with pigments called carotenes as found in carrots and oranges. Besides limiting consumption of stain-causing foods and maintaining daily oral hygiene, you can also diminish extrinsic staining with a bleaching application.

There are two basic ways to approach this: with either a professional application at our office or with a home kit purchased at a pharmacy or retail store. Although both types use similar chemicals, the professional application is usually stronger and the whitening effect is obtained quicker and may last longer.

Discoloration can also occur within a tooth, known as intrinsic staining, and for various reasons. It can occur during tooth development, as with childhood overexposure to fluoride or from the antibiotic tetracycline. Poor development of enamel or dentin (the main sources of natural tooth color), tooth decay, root canal treatments or trauma are also common causes of intrinsic discoloration.

There are techniques to reduce the effects of intrinsic staining, such as placing a bleaching agent inside the tooth following a root canal treatment. In some cases, the best approach may be to restore the tooth with a crown or porcelain veneer. The latter choice is a thin layer of dental material that is permanently bonded to the outer, visible portion of the tooth: it’s life-like color and appearance covers the discoloration, effectively renewing the person’s smile.

If you’ve been embarrassed by stained teeth, visit us for a complete examination. We’ll recommend the right course of action to turn your dull smile into a bright, attractive one.

Find out why most teens and adults will need to have these molars removed.

Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars to come in. They usually appear during the late teen years. Of course, our Peoria and Glendale dentist Dr. Yati Yadav will continue to monitor your wisdom teeth through routine checkups every six months and x-rays each year to see how they are developing. More often than not, wisdom teeth will need to be removed. You may be wondering, “They don’t hurt or bother me, so why do they need to come out?”

Just because your wisdom teeth aren’t causing you issues doesn’t mean that they aren’t actually causing problems for your oral health. Most of the time these molars are impacted, which means that they never fully erupt through the gums. This can happen for several reasons: your wisdom teeth may be coming in crooked or your mouth might be too small to accommodate these new teeth. If your wisdom teeth are coming in at an angle they could also damage neighboring teeth as they start to grow in.

When should I have my wisdom teeth removed?

When you come in for your consultation, our Peoria and Glendale dentist will take x-rays to see how your wisdom teeth are coming in. Your wisdom teeth may need to come out if:

They are going to damage other teeth: as we mentioned, if these teeth come in crooked they can damage other healthy teeth

They are causing jaw problems: sometimes cysts form on wisdom teeth, which can damage the jawbone and the nerves

They increase your risk for infection or cavity: since the tooth has only partially erupted through the gums this leaves an opening where bacteria or a cavity can easily form

They could affect the alignment of your smile: if there isn’t enough room for these wisdom teeth to come in they could end up affecting your straight smile, leading to crowding or crooked, twisted teeth

Still not convinced that you want to live life without these teeth? While you don’t have to worry about losing your wisdom if we extract these molars we also understand that you may want to wait and see what your teeth do. We can wait a few months and then come back in and monitor the situation; however, if you are experiencing pain or chronic bad breath then it’s time to part with your wisdom teeth.

Do you want to discuss your options when it comes to your wisdom teeth? If so, then it’s time to schedule a consultation with Your Family Dentist. We have an office in Peoria, AZ, but we are proud to serve the Glendale, AZ, area. Call our dental office today.

If you followed the 2018 FIFA World Cup Soccer games, you probably know that one of this year’s biggest surprises was the debut of the team from Iceland—the smallest country ever to earn a chance at the sport’s top prize. But here’s something you may not have known: When he’s not on the field, the team’s coach, Heimir Hallgrímsson, is a practicing dentist! Those two skill sets might not seem like a natural fit… but they came together dramatically at a recent contest.

At a local women’s game last summer, when a player was hit and her tooth was knocked out, Dr. Hallgrímsson took immediate action. “I jumped on the pitch and put the tooth back in, took her to a dental office and fixed it,” he said.

Not everyone has the special training or ability to fix a tooth that has been damaged or knocked out—but there are some simple things that you can do to help an adult who has suffered this kind of injury. Here’s a quick run-down:

After making sure the person is stable and not otherwise seriously injured, try to locate the tooth.

Handle it carefully, without touching root surfaces, and clean it gently with water if possible.

Try to open and gently rinse out the mouth, and find where the tooth came from.

Carefully place the tooth back in its socket, making sure it is facing the right way, and hold it in place with a soft cloth.

If the tooth can’t be re-implanted, place it in a bag with a special preservative solution, milk or saliva, or have the person hold it between the cheek and gum—but make sure it isn’t swallowed!

Rush to the nearest dental office or urgent care facility.

When these steps are followed and the person receives professional treatment as quickly as possible (ideally within minutes), their tooth will have the best chance of being saved. But even if it isn’t possible to preserve the tooth, receiving prompt and appropriate care can make replacing the tooth much easier.

Having Dr. Hallgrímsson on the sidelines was a lucky break for the injured soccer player—and as a coach, just getting to the World Cup is a remarkable achievement. But you don’t need to be a coach (or a dentist) to give first aid in a dental emergency. Taking the right steps can help ensure the best possible outcome… and might even save a tooth!